Republicans Playing Politics On Medicare Cuts

The Democrats are being irresponsible and poor stewards of public monies with their $900 billion healthcare reform legislation but that doesn't give Republicans in the Senate the justification to obstruct legitimate cost cutting in Medicare as their behavior in the Senate Finance committee demonstrates. For the last ten years it has often been spoken of in public discussions in America that the current Medicare program is not sustainable, you have the baby boom generation retiring so the beneficiary rolls of the program are going to significantly increase and the revenue in the program isn't sufficient to sustain the program. To this problem, it has always been the Republican Party line that the country needs to cut the fat out of the Medicare program that is a big part of the Medicare solution, this was the platform of George W. Bush and John McCain.



Now that the Democrats in the Senate are trying to do this, cut the wasteful spending in Medicare, Republicans in the Chamber are proclaiming Democrats are cutting seniors' Medicare's benefits, necessary health care services will be taken from these seniors. They are playing to America's seniors fears, they know this voting block, the seniors voting block, is an important voting block and they are trying to take advantage ignoring the important work Democrats are trying to do here.



This Republican behavior is American politics at its worse. Let us hope that a few Republican senators will have an experience of conscience and help lead the Republican Party to stop this disgraceful behavior.

 

I've gone independent. No Republican calling here, was a liberal until Bama went/was just a loud bam.

Mr. Flew

 

We don't want Dems to push Granny down the stairs.

Is that so wring?

 

yes

 

As you read Frank's post, remember that the party he supports voted for disband Medicare earlier this year.

 

Lie as usual Polk.

As for ligitimate cost cutting in Medicare Jim the damn current reimbursements don't come close to equalling the actual cost of services render and you actually think further government price gouging of doctors by your friendly neighborhood bureaucrat is legitimate? What they are cutting isn't fat its muscle and bone.

 

Can anyone tell me how you can be in politicals and not play politics?

What kind of budget cuts are we actually expecting when Trillion dollar legislation is on the table?

 

Republicans have learned that scare tactic from the Democrats at every election, problem is this time it's true according to the CBO.

Congress' Budget Chief Contradicts Obama - CBS News

 

Paul Ryan attempted to attach an amendment to the budget which would have disbanded Medicare.

137 of the 175 House Republicans voted for it.

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll191.xml

 

Budget chief contradicts Obama on Medicare costs
By ERICA WERNER (AP) – 2 days ago

WASHINGTON — Congress' chief budget officer on Tuesday contradicted President Barack Obama's oft-stated claim that seniors wouldn't see their Medicare benefits cut under a health care overhaul.

The head of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Douglas Elmendorf, told senators that seniors in Medicare's managed care plans could see reduced benefits under a bill in the Finance Committee.

The bill would cut payments to the Medicare Advantage plans by more than $100 billion over 10 years.

Elmendorf said the changes "would reduce the extra benefits that would be made available to beneficiaries through Medicare Advantage plans."

Finance Committee aides emphasized that core Medicare benefits wouldn't be cut because the plans are required to offer the benefits available under traditional Medicare fee-for-service coverage.

Federal subsidies to private Medicare plans average about 14 percent higher than those involved in fee-for-service coverage. The health care bills pending in Congress would reduce or eliminate the difference in part by introducing a competitive bidding system to pay the plans. The private plans cover around 25 percent of Medicare beneficiaries.

The Finance Committee bill along with other health care legislation in Congress would cut around $500 billion in projected Medicare payments to providers over a decade, including around $125 billion from Medicare Advantage.

Obama has pushed the cuts to providers even while repeatedly insisting they won't reduce seniors' benefits. "Nobody is talking about cutting Medicare benefits," Obama said during an online AARP forum in July.

The White House released a statement Tuesday night defending its approach.

"Health insurance reform will strengthen Medicare for seniors, not diminish it," said White House spokesman Reid Cherlin. "Even under the competitive bidding proposal in the legislation, Medicare Advantage plans will still be paid more than traditional Medicare plans. Yes, they'll need to compete, and they'll need to be more efficient, but they'll still have more money to work with than traditional Medicare."

Finance Committee Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, whose state is home to many seniors, plans to offer an amendment to the bill to protect current Medicare Advantage beneficiaries from losing benefits. Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has already agreed to hold benefits stable for plans in areas of the country where they deliver more efficient care, but it's not clear precisely which areas would be affected.

Elmendorf also said he expected the Medicare Advantage plans to lose 2.7 million enrollees over the next decade. He said most of that was from people who would have signed up but who won't because of the changes, as opposed to people quitting the plans.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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